Buddy Thomas: An open letter to the U.S. Patent Office

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 25, 2014 at 12:02 AM

So all it takes is a little political or public pressure to get the United States Patent and Trademark office to cancel a trademark that has existed for years? Apparently that's all it took for the National Football League franchise in Washington, D.C., to lose the protection rights to its team's nickname after the Patent and Trademark office ruled the term "Redskins" is disparaging to Native Americans?

BUDDY THOMAS

So all it takes is a little political or public pressure to get the United States Patent and Trademark office to cancel a trademark that has existed for years? Apparently that's all it took for the National Football League franchise in Washington, D.C., to lose the protection rights to its team's nickname after the Patent and Trademark office ruled the term "Redskins" is disparaging to Native Americans?

Well, as a member of the silent majority, maybe it's time to infiltrate the ranks of the vocal minority that continues to throw a one-time reasonable-thinking system now out of whack into complete and utter chaos. Hopefully, with my help, the current system will eventually blow up and, not-soon-enough, force a return to some form of normalcy.

The following is an open letter to the U.S. Patent and Trademark office:

Dear (I'm purposely leaving the descriptor blank because I don't know if you're male, female, single or married and don't want to risk offending you with a politically-incorrect label),

I applaud your recent decision to cancel the trademark for Washington's NFL franchise because you feel the name "Redskins" is disparaging to Native Americans. I would also like you to know that I've shared those feelings dating back decades ago when I was a youngster playing "Cowboys and Native Americans" with my neighborhood friends.

I am neither a cowboy nor Native American but names and logos that disparage any religion or ethnicity is appalling to me ... which brings me to the reason I'm writing this letter.

Because I happen to be Irish, English and French I'm outraged with the logo and nickname linked to the University of Notre Dame and sincerely hope you will act with the same haste and vigor to cancel those trademarks once I've shared my concerns.

First, the nickname "Fighting Irish" disparages my ethnic roots on my mother's side by painting all Irish as brawlers. Never once do I remember my mother ever throwing a punch at anyone. But, not only is the nickname disparaging, it's also confusing when linked to the school name. Notre Dame happens to be French and the school was founded by a French priest. Yet, the school chooses to offend two-thirds of my ethnicity with its ridiculous logo and nickname by completely ignoring my French heritage — also on my mother's side — while tarnishing my Irish roots. I'm appalled!

I know I'm only one voice. But, if you're willing to ignore a 2004 survey of self-identifying Native Americans that showed a reported 90 percent either supported or had no problem with the name "Redskins" when linked with Washington's NFL franchise, hopefully you will do the politically-correct thing and salve the wounds inflicted on the Irish and French portions of my heritage by revoking the disparaging and conflicting trademarks that have been associated with Notre Dame football for decades.

I expressed these concerns in a letter to the Notre Dame athletic department a few years ago when the football team was going bad and I suggested the school could answer my ethnic concerns by changing the school's nickname from "Fighting Irish" to "French Toast." I never got a response. Maybe they didn't take me seriously. But I've seen how quickly your office reacts when a minority of people are offended and, hopefully, you will act quickly on my concerns.